Friday, June 15, 2012

Ahhhhhh,it's FRIDAY; the end of a great week and the beginning of a great weekend to come!
Today I arose feeling pretty good, well-rested and ready to get this animation project on it's feet.BREAKFAST: Two beef sausage links, Dasani water and grits

LUNCH: Chicken sandwich, juice and a baked-apple pie slice<---YIKES! Followed by some intense dancing on my Wii-Fit....."Smooth Criminal" is quickly becoming my dance of choice on "THE MICHAEL JACKSON DANCE EXPERIENCE"<----I think I'mma take my show on the road!

DINNER Well, I made up for that pie for lunch by passing up a FREE meal at "Five Guys"
( I lovvvve 'free- ♥ but I already had something I didn't need with that pie slice') Besides they reportedly have some of the most fattening sandwiches & fries in the country!
So I had my Dandelion Tea, veggies and fish, water with Crystal-Light packets...
Well, gonna' hit the "Wii Fit-Plus" with my mini-me later on and pray my BMI is down since I last weighed in, if not--I'll do better next time. Rome wasn't built in a day and taking off years of bad-eating habits and pounds and that won't happen instantly either but I am enjoying the journey!T.G.I.F. --->Thank God I'm FREE!Free in the mind. body and soul to improve my way of life....for the able-bodied legs,arms, heart, lungs,liver....the will-power to stick with it and KNOW I can change my circumstances... and the spirit and faith to know it's ALL going to be worth it!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Ugggh, not feeling my best but I still got in a 20 minute of intense dancing work-out to "Moves Like Jagger"......I know it's been out for months but that'z---my------ish'!BREAKFAST: grits, water and a sausage link---and two cups of Dandelion Tea ( serving the dual purpose of appetite suppresant and tummy soother)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

BREAKFAST: I admit it: I ate carbs..(*cue sinister music--dun-dun-dun-dunnnn....*) I had two mini biscuits as I rushed out the door and my Dandelion Tea with a bit of honey (* Thanks Kev'*)
Met with my young intern today, "Lonnie"( *using her nick-name for discretion*) and we worked for about four hours ---and She ROCKS!----then it was time for her parents to pick her up so I worked solo again...

LUNCH: again, I scewed-up..there was no lunch. I didn't pack one and didn't have an opportunity to grab any OR dinner before the play I saw last night ("A Rhyme Deferred") and I paid for that lack of preparation. I was feeling ill due to nature so I grabbed a piece of chocolate and a burger late that night------yeah, gotta' do better...but at least I know....

EXERCIZE: Well I got it in but NOT the way I expected: I walked downtown briskly for about 5 minutes and then at the play; the MC "Bluz" had everyone dance the "Electric Slide" last night as well as just typical hip-hop moves dancing...I had a BLAST: the actors and break-dancers did their thing ( *there was one chick who was 'modeling' my future-slimmer-more muscular body, so that's what my arms will look like before long? lol!*) and I was truly inspired seeing fellow "CURVE Your Enthusiasm" members: spoken word poetry-manager & activist Inkera Oshun and my girl, actress Sharlata Marlin--they have both noticiably slimmed-down--KUDOS!
Seeing is believeing and believeing I can do it is already half-the-battle!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Feelingpretty proud ofmyself-♥ (YAY ME!)
I had a light breakfast of two mini-muffins and FIJI water, unfortunately I skipped lunch and I'm about to have a piece of chicken for a late dinner ( finally getting settled at home after a long day)
I did two miles this afternoon..uphill and down...my pace is getting better and my pants are getting baggier!
Although I DID try on a shirt I was too big for, at least I'm a size down...next month I'm getting in it---um, provided there are some still on the rack...
I'm also lovvvving my coif (* SHOUT-OUT to Jermiles, hair-stylist extarordinaire for the fresh dye and loc-twist job he did!) Nuthin' like swingin' a healthy, full head of REAL hair to & fro as you walk...
** Even got a macked on by a young cutie---I appreciated the ego-boost but younger guys don't really interest me---which makes still wearing my wedding band come in handy even though I'm separated....RANDOM THOUGHT:
The thing about exercize I love is that the more you do it and feel results, the more you wanna' do it!
Big day ahead tomorrow AND I'm breaking in my new intern---so I'm turning in early & gonna' curl-up with "FABLES" ( my new fascination)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Started drinking "Dandelion Tea" today...and I LIKE IT! I think I got the wrong version though; it doesn't have the gross-looking--->"collard-greens-in-a-cup" look that I saw when my ex was drinking it....
Oh well, bottoms up......and hopefully a smaller & firmer one soon! ;-)

Morning Exercize Wii Fit for 15 minutes.....beat my 12 year old niece on "The Michael JacksonDance Experience"----I AM A BEAST AT THIS! ( * Okay, not really but I am enjoying it!*)

Breakfast: One piece of bacon and a muffin.....(* and only one, normally it would have been two or three*)

Shopping at "My Harris Teeter" grocery store: One large bottle of FIJI water, three boxes of "Crystal Light" lemon tea packets, Salad-in-a-bag, low-calorie muffins and rasins (* whew!* Just walking by the sweets section and breads and NOT picking up any of that is a big deal for me!)

Going to get my locs done tomorrow and that always gives me an extra kick in my stride....and as of now that means literally and figuratively!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Okay, I promised myself I would be TOTALLY honest on this blog--otherwise what's the point?
Today I did nuthin', nada, zilch towards exercize--I did however avoid carbs and sweet-eats but I DID drink some sugary juice drink with my meals...I felt better LAST week, I'm sure of it!

Well, even though I took a break from any fitness I did get my most recent art project done but Monday I gotta' do better!
MONDAY GOAL# Try this new Dandelion Tea that my ex swears by, he's lost 62 lbs even while guzzling beer so I figure I can definitely get some results

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Well, it's Saturday and I've forced myself to stay as far away from the annual "Taste Of Charlotte" festival as possible; every city has one I'm sure: a live jazz band playing or some other kind of easy-going music and a crowd of hungry folks wanting to sample every type of mouth-watering, culinary treats you can imagine--and I'm determined to not set a foot anywhere near the down-town area this weekend!
Week 2# is approaching on my weight loss journey to"Stupefyin' J" and I'm a little down-in-the-dumps about gaining back a pound of the two I lost last week. I know I'm supposed to concentrate on 'INCHES' and not weight but I was sooo hyped about the pounds I lost the week before and how much fun the "Wii-Fit-Plus" was ( *working out in one's PJs is seriously overrated though*) that I completely expected to continue the trend---this is not going to be as easy as it was back-in-the-day! I'd just give up fast-food for a week and the weight would fly off.......(*Hmmm, maybe I should have passed-up lunch-dates to BOTH '"Carrabbas" and "Cabo-Fish Taco" in one week....yup, I know so*)

NEW GOAL#------> Focus on the feeling of my work-out becoming more routine and losing inches and less on actual pounds, which will drop off!

Books That ~Stupefy~ Me...

~Join My Journey And Let's Support Each Other~

WELCOME....

Hello there....Whether you are an :'Accidental Tourist' on my journey and just happened across this blog while web-surfing , a friend or family member who is here to support and catch up with my process OR just a 'curious reader',I thank you for stopping by!Feel free to leave a comment...OR not.Post some advice........OR don't.Sign the guestbook.....or just leave.Either way, I appreciate you for droppin' by. Although this particular blog ( I have five others dedicated to my craft soley) is my most personal yet; I made it public for many reasons: to hold myself accountable to what I'm writing here; i.e. if I'm still the same size or bigger next year, this blog was purely for vanity's sake and I guess I'm kinda' full of it,lol....AND I hope to inspire other weight-loss seekers & bloggers as well as get inspired myself. Keeping a daily diary in PUBLIC is a great way to stay motivated......so see you at the finish-line, whenever that may be...♥Lena J.

...OR on "YouTube"

Journey Archives

"STUPEFYIN' JONES": The inspiration behind the blog

Check out this iconic creation by cartoonist-writer Al Capp of 'Lil Abner" fame. Even though I read the strip that inspired me many yeas ago in a trade-paper-back collection; I neve forgot the impact it had on me! (* One of the many, Capp was one of the best--Rest In Peace*)

WHY I CHOSE THE NAME "STUPEFYING"?.....

~THE ORIGIN OF "STUPEFYIN' JONES" ~

So I'd been trying to come up with a name for this weight-loss blog for over a year and nothing catchy and original came to mind. I've never been a fan-of-the-bland or the 'borrowed' ; although I do like putting my own spin on a popular brand, and naming it "Lena's Weight-Loss Blog" just wouldn't do....

...and then *EUREKA!* it came to me: combine my passion for creating & reading comics---WITH--- the sad but often harsh reality of the constant competition amongst women. What concept better illustrates that than the comic book story of "Stupefying Jones"?( *not the Julie Newmar version in the "Lil Abner" movie but the ORIGINAL, hand-drawn "Stupefyin' Jones" character*)

HERE'S THE BACKGROUND STORY: In a classic, Sunday-funnies episode of "Lil Abner" entitled "The Gorging of Stupefyin' Jones"; the sequence described how the women of Al Capp's imaginary Southern town, *Dogpatch*, handled the "menace" of ~Stupefyin' Jones~. She was drawn as a raven-haired beauty so preternaturally gorgeous that the sight of her stopped men in their tracks!

(..and NO, I'm not saying I did or ever will possess the ability to do that, just read on please..lol!)

THE SOLUTION: To feed the incipiently, gluttonous Miz Jones non-stop until she becomes a super-sized "mass of quivering pink flesh" and therefore of no harm to the vanity of the towns-women...

Okaaay, so what does that have to do with me?As I 'disclaimered' earlier I'm not suggesting I'm a six-foot tall, knock-out Glamazon that can have any man she wants but I AM suggesting that I am a woman that has felt stunted by myself and others to not unleash my full potential; physically, spiritually, creatively and financially. I think that MANY of us have encountered that obstacle: knowing deep inside that you own the power to *STUPEFY" but metaphorically let others 'gorge-you', 'stuff-you' with a diet of bad items that weigh you down and weaken your powers....Now whether the folks surrounding you have good intentions but a clumsy approach OR are actually jealous and with mal intent (* not unlike the Dogpatch women*) the end result is YOU losing focus and being off your game...In the comic-strip as in real life, some people are waaaay more comfortable with keeping us focused on consuming & over-indulging the bad and not swallowing what's good for us, not realizing our ability to *Stupefy*....In the cartoon, Jones was able to slim down to her goregous, former size after a six-week, food drought that hit the entire, little town of Dogpatch. The women feared for losing their husbands and kept feeding the breath-taking Ms. Jones despite starving themselves to do it( Now THAT'S dedication,lol!). In the end, Jones went back to being fat and everybody went back to exactly where they were...not doing bad, not doing great...just 'fine'.Well, I'm re-scripting THAT ending for this 'J'. I may not have the out-of-this-world looks that Al Capp's tragic heroine did but I plan on getting as close to full-throttle ~STUPEFYIN'~as possible---Join me if you like but if I catch you trying to shove a honey-baked ham and some donuts my way, well you know.... ;-)